The Balance of Things
by irishcookie
Summary: After nearly a year of being free of the horrors of Mystic Falls, Klaus walks back into Bonnie's life and demands that for every day she 'stole' of his life, she repay in kind. AU from 3X21. A series of connected one-shot/drabble style chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is a series I started on The Bennett Diaries way back in May (right after 3x21 aired). It is based on the premise that Klaus remained desiccated. The 'chapters' may seem short but that is because they are more like individual drabbles that all connected together. Having gotten about 12 of these written so far I can tell you that now the average length is just slightly less than 1000 words. Also, this doesn't mean that I have given up on **_**Uneven Ground**_** – I just figured the more Klonnie the better! **

**The Balance of Things**

_Part One_

Summer is beginning to make itself known.

She can feel it in the air, the first touches of warmth brushing against her cheeks as she walks side by side with Sophie, Carla, and Rosie - her study group, her _friends_. A few hours' worth of work is clutched to her chest and there is an easy chatter amongst them as they descend the steps of the library.

At the bottom, Bonnie pulls away. They are headed to the coffee shop. Or the student lounge. Or some other place that is infinitely more fun than where she is going. "Sorry guys, but I have a chemistry lab to write."

Not a spell to perform.

Not a life to save.

A college lab report.

It all sounds so…_normal_.

Bonnie Bennett has had nearly eight months of normal. She has yet to get used it, yet to totally settle in - but it is coming, she is working on it. One day she will wake up, and her first thoughts will be of what she will eat for breakfast not - _watch your back today, Bonnie_. The nightmares will stop. The events of Mystic Falls will one day just be an unpleasant pit stop on her overall journey of life.

(At least that is what she tells herself).

She arrives back at the dorm to find it mostly emptied out. It makes sense - it's a Thursday night, people are ramping up for the weekend. She heads down the hall only to stop when she finds a sock on the doorknob.

Brandy - her roommate and the one blight on her otherwise _normal _year (though she supposed a slacker roomie with an overactive sex drive was quite normal).

Bonnie sighs. She is going in no matter what state Brandy and her boy du jour are. She has blown off something fun to do chemistry - and do chemistry she shall. She'll just grab it off her desk, sit in the common room and hope that it is a quickie and not an all-nighter.

She is on red alert for tits and ass the moment she opens the door but instead finds Brandy in the center of the room. In her clothes. No man in sight.

"Sock!" Brandy protests.

"Homework," Bonnie retorts tossing her American Lit on her bed. Brandy's latest choice is in the bathroom - the band of light from underneath the door is obvious in the dimly lit space. The water is running. She has maybe 10 seconds to gather her things before she has a face she might later link to sounds (the walls are paper thin - not that that seems to matter to other woman).

She is throwing things into a bag when the door opens. _Damn, _face match is going to occur.

"Ah, the roommate. I was wondering when you would show up."

Bonnie freezes. Her blood has run cold and there is a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

_No, no, no, no…this just isn't possible._

He is nothing but a husk, a hollowed version of himself. He is wasting away in a storage unit in some backwater town.

(He is _not_ behind her - she has to tell herself that, right?)

It takes everything she has to turn around, to cast aside all that progress, all that normal. She has sucked in a breath, and seems reluctant to let it go as she takes him in. Healthy, smirking, and wiping his hands with her towel.

"Hello _Klaus_."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** **Thanks for the response to my drabble series! Hope you enjoy the next installment.**

**The Balance of Things**

_Part Two _

For a moment the two stand there taking the other in.

It is as if they are both waiting for the other to lunge, speak, blink. The silence stretches into something uncomfortable and Bonnie wonders just how she found herself right back where she started after so many months of blissful _normal_ existence.

In the end, she guesses she should have known better. She should have realized she has been merely on vacation - that reality would come crashing in. Perhaps she should have even expected it to do so in such a deadly fashion. The things she had done in Mystic Falls to protect those she loved have left a permanent scar upon her. She can't hide it and it's no wonder that no one has come for her before.

But still…why did it have to be _him_?

"Klaus?" Of course it was Brandy speaks, that takes them both out of the moment. Bonnie spares a glance to her roommate and finds her standing there watching the pair with frank curiosity. Brandy then directs her gaze toward him. "I thought you told me your name was Nik."

Klaus doesn't even acknowledge her, his eyes are still fixed on Bonnie. That doesn't bode well for Brandy's survival, Bonnie realizes. He is still wiping his hands methodically and she has the urge to rip _her_ towel from his hands. She manages to hold back. "Your hair is a bit longer than I remember, love," he begins, tossing the soiled towel on her neatly made bed. He is reaching out before she can react and flicking a lock of the aforementioned hair over her shoulder. "It suits you."

"You two know one another?" Brandy continues. Bonnie wishes for once her dimwitted quasi-friend would wake the hell up, realize the danger and exit the room at once. It has been awhile since Bonnie has had blood on her hands and she is not looking forward to it - even if it comes in the form of one irritating human being.

"You could say that," Klaus drawls. "Old acquaintances really…"

"Great," Brandy mutters, giving her foot an indignant stomp that has the two of them pulling their gaze from one another to look at her. "Figures I would find the hottest guy on campus and my roommate has already sexed him up."

Bonnie's mouth falls open around the same time that Klaus' grins. "It's a small world, sweetheart."

Bonnie finally finds her voice, wanting to protest the idea that she would ever consider touching Klaus in that manner but instead she is all business. "What do you want?"

Klaus' eyes are on her again and she gets the distinct feeling he is pulling her apart, piecing her back together, getting a feel for this new Bonnie and weighing just how to strike her where it will most hurt. "I should think it obvious, Bonnie."

Yes, it is.

Revenge - plain and simple. She had been instrumental in putting him away after over 1000 years of terror. She - the teenage witch. How that must burn him…how he must wish to burn her.

"Not here," Bonnie states clearly, holding her head up. "And not with her…"

Brandy makes a face. "Look, I don't want to be a part of your freaky ménage a trois anyway!"

"I don't see why I have to play fair, but very well," Klaus says. He is swift, pining Brandy against the wall, catching her gaze easily. Bonnie lurches forward but a warning glance roots her to the spot. "I was never here, you pathetic little twit. You never met me. If we passed in a street, you would not recognize me. As for Bonnie - she never came home from her little study group. You remember her talking about being stressed, about visiting old friends, and you figure the demands of college life have become too much…"

Bonnie wants to cry, scream in protest. The demands of her old life had become too much - this life, the life she is desperate to cling to, has been the perfect escape.

But it's too late - Brandy is nodding stupidly and Klaus is pushing her aside. He looks back to her, extending his hand.

"Shall we?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: In honor of Season 4, here's the next installment. Thank you for your continued support.**

**The Balance of Things**

_Part Three_

They exit the dorm together.

Bonnie had refused to take his hand when he offered it moments ago - just as she refuses to take his arm now. This is not a leisurely stroll across the campus.

This…

…well this is no doubt her last minutes on earth and she refuses to spend them any closer to him than she has to be.

For his part, Klaus looks amused by her stubbornness but does not say anything. Nor does he try and force her hand. Instead he walks the fine line between threatening and polite. He has his hands folded behind his back and he is in step with her, a slight smile crossing his face. They are cutting through the campus now, sticking to the well beaten path illuminated only by a streetlamps every so many feet.

"You've chosen well. This is a good school. Although why on earth you would want a degree in literature is beyond me. There is no vocational path with it. It becomes a very expensive piece of paper," Klaus muses. He seems to be enjoying this - the quiet talk as if they are two old friends catching up. Not a monster and the witch who locked him away (rather ineffectively now it seems).

Bonnie finds that she does not like the implication of his words. The fact that he knows her chosen path of study means that he has been watching her. Just how long had he been in her shadow undetected? Days? Weeks? Longer (surely it can't be longer)?

"Perhaps you've chosen it because you knew, deep down, that one day it would come to this. You knew from the moment you sent in your application that you'd never be finishing." He stops now, forcing her to do so as well. For a moment they regard one another and she wants to cry out that he is mistaken, that she has chosen because she is truly interested in learning…

…but he is right. She knows it. After all these eight blissful months without the ever looming threat of him hasn't been without the deep seeded notion that one day everything is going to come back.

Bonnie Bennett has never been meant for anything resembling a normal life.

She squares herself, rising to her full height, steeling her eyes. Her fists are clenched by her sides and for the first time she feels her power stirring within her, wakening after a long slumber. She knows she'll be shaky, but she figures in the end, it'll be just like riding a bike.

If she is going down - it will be after one hell of a fight. After all, she didn't spend the better part of a year pouring over copies of _Gulliver's Travels_ and _Jane Eyre_ just have it taken away from her on some random Thursday night.

She knows he senses the shift in the air. His eyes narrow and his hands fall to his sides. "Did you come here to kill me, Klaus?" She asks, boldly. "For what I did to you? You _deserved_ it!"

His face is unreadable for a moment. And then a smile curves his lips. "No, love, I didn't come here to kill you. But I will kill her." For the briefest of seconds, she is thrown by the admission, left wondering by his words. He is quick, disappearing and reappearing a moment later with a pretty little blonde in his arms.

"Klaus…" She means it as a warning but there is a hint of question in her voice, brought on by his sudden confession.

When their eyes meet, his are blazing yellow and she lurches forward just as he buries his fangs into the tender flesh of the girl. Bonnie isn't sure which one of them lets out the startled cry but she can do nothing more than watch as he drains the blonde.

When he drops the body at his feet, Bonnie focuses on her face for a moment, wondering if she knew her. Perhaps they had a class together - one of the large ones that took place in the auditoriums. Perhaps they passed one another on this very spot.

Either way…the girl is dead and Bonnie feels as if she has blood on her hands once again.

"Now that we have that bit of unpleasantness out of the way, come along."

His hand is outstretched again.

She knows better to refuse it this time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Glad you guys are enjoying this. Thank you so much for letting me know! I have been having a blast writing this on my tumblr and I hope to continue it there soon (as well as **_**Uneven Ground**_**). You all make me smile with your support for my work! **

**The Balance of Things**

_Part Four_

Once she is in a moving vehicle with the lights of the campus fading in the rear-view, Bonnie takes a moment to go over her options. She can't very well jump from a car in motion (besides she thinks he would jerk her back in before she even pushed the door open enough to do so). She can hurl aneurism after aneurism at him, set him on fire, set the car on fire - but with those ideas comes the risk that the car will crash into a something. Worse, crash into someone else. She already has one death on her hands this night.

The car is probably not the best location to mount her escape.

"I love it when you calculate," Klaus muses from the driver's seat. It is the first thing he has said since getting into the car. It pulls her from her thoughts and she glances toward him with furrowed brows. "Assessing the situation, compiling the solutions - you have always been one to refuse to see the inevitable even when it is staring you in the face. I bet if I chained you to the wall, drained to the point of death, you'd still believe you had the upper hand…"

Bonnie swallows.

"Oh don't look so doe-eyed, love," he orders, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. "I can assure you that that is not my plan for you."

"What is, then?" Bonnie counters. "I think I should be privy to the last hours of my life."

"I believe I already explained that I have no desire to kill you." Klaus is focused on the road again, weaving through the streets of the college town like he knows it. The reality is - he probably does, at least better than her. She has always stuck close to the campus, rarely venturing too far for fear of what might happen. The stone buildings and rolling commons are a safe zone to her.

Of course, he has violated that now.

She wonders just how long it will be before the blonde is found.

She figures she will be gone before then. Already she has lost track of just how far they are from the campus. The roads are nearly empty and he is using that to his advantage by speeding at an alarming rate. She has her fingers curled into the seat.

They fall back into silence.

She is amazed that an hour passes before either speak again. She has all but bitten into the tip of her tongue to prevent from bombarding him with questions he won't answer - and he has watched her out of the corner of his eyes expectantly.

Finally he pulls into one of those motels that populate horror films and switches off the engine.

"This is far enough for tonight," he tells her as he gets out of the car. He watches her as he walks around the hood of the car, almost as if he expects her to try something.

She knows better - she is still at too large a disadvantage.

Bonnie steps out when he opens the car door and then eyes the motel. Perhaps she will get a better chance soon.

He mistakes her curious look for one of disdain. "Not the best accommodations I am afraid but we will make do." Klaus walks at a slow pace waiting until she has caught up to pull a key from his pocket.

Of course he has planned this in advance.

Room 28. Well - she hopes 28 is her lucky number.

Bonnie gets the distinct impression that she shouldn't touch anything when enters the room. She makes a face and then turns back to see him shut and lock the door.

Why bother trying to keep the monsters out? The worst is already standing in the center of the room.

"Drink?"

Bonnie shakes her head. She would rather get down to business. Still she has to wait as he raids the mini bar and dumps what he finds in a glass that has seen better days.

"I paid a visit to our old stomping ground the other day – it's amazing how things change but at the same time stay the same. Elena, still playing both the Salvatore brothers, sweet Caroline, still thinking Tyler will be enough…"

Her breath hitches at the mention of her friends.

Friends she hasn't seen in months.

Friends that she talks to every other week at best.

Friends she would still die for.

The thought of him near them has her narrowing her eyes. She puts a crack in the glass he holds in his hand. It starts at the rim, splintering off as it makes its way to the bottom.

He grins.

"Right," he says as he sets the glass aside. "You are too curious to play catch up."

He lowers himself until he is seated on edge of one of the beds. He looks up at her. She has her arms crossed tightly, waiting for the worst.

"I should think this will be very simple," Klaus drawls, his eyes hinting at the amusement he is feeling. "You took eight months of my life, Bonnie…"

She wants to argue that eight months is a blink of an eye in his life span. But she doesn't dare.

"Therefore, I will take eight months of yours."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Thanks once again for the love and support! This little tale certainly got away from me but I am glad that you all are enjoying it! **

**The Balance of Things**

_Part Five_

Bonnie lays on one of the stiff beds, staring at the ceiling. She hasn't bothered to turn down the covers, shift into her favorite position. What would be the point? There is no way in hell she is getting any sleep on this night.

He, on the other hand, seemingly has no problem drifting off in the bed after he unveiled his master plan to her. In fact, he almost acts as if a weight has been lifted off his chest and he is better for it. She sits up a little, her hands coming out to brace her upper body, and turns her head to look at him. The lights in the room are out so she has to squint to take him in. He looks docile, not a harsh line on his face, his eyes closed to hide the mischievous glint that comes so naturally to him.

Eight months.

She could spend eight months with him like that.

But she knows that the moment he comes to the peaceful nature that surrounds him will disappear. And what he is…_really_ is - that she cannot spend eight months with. She needs to get out, and fast before he drags her so far down that she has no escape.

Now is as good a time as any.

She is whisper quiet, inching down the down the bed. She puts one foot on the floor at a time, suddenly thankful for muting sounds of the shag carpet. When she finally stands, her legs shake a little and she glances back over her shoulder to find him just as she's left him.

The hard part lay before her.

It takes her five minutes to cross the small space to the door. It is a lot of starting and stopping, looking to him to see if he has stirred. She turns the lock so slowly she swears it is like she is not moving it at all. The deadbolt makes an audible thud as it comes to rest in the door and she holds her breath. Looks. Finds his chest rising at the same pace as before.

It is only when she has the door open a crack that she feels the shift in the room. She glances back to see him looking at her. Her blood runs cold. Before she can even react, he is on her, a hand coming out to slam the door back in place. He pushes her against the hard wood with his body, her chest pressed into the door, her head forced to turn to the side. Her eyes find the horrid painting above the bed she has just been sitting on.

"I had to try," she tells him after a moment, her voice even.

"Of course you did," Klaus retorts, his voice low and heavy in her ear. His breath plays in her hair and she shudders against him. "What took you so long? Do you realize how boring it is to lay there with your eyes closed waiting for the silly little witch next to you to make her move?"

She should have known.

He probably hasn't slept for centuries.

"I will not kill anyone," she announces firmly, switching the topic of conversation back to the larger issue at hand.

"I haven't asked you to," he points out.

"For future reference." Bonnie cannot take looking at the abstract mess anymore and tries to turn to face him. Amazingly he lets her. She can see his eyes now and forces herself to hold his gaze. "I am not going to make this easy on you. The next eight months…are going to be a living hell for you." It's a promise - one she is unsure that she can keep.

But she is going to damn well try.

It is a good thing she isn't expecting him to falter, to back down. Because his face cracks into a grin, which turns into a laugh.

There is a pause before he speaks.

"I am looking forward to it."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Once again I thank you for your support. This one is a bit short too but soon we will be hitting the drabbles where I set a word count of at least a 1000. So hang in there with the teases. **

**The Balance of Things**

_Part Six _

Three days later she finds herself in Nevada, sitting across from him in some diner with peeling paint and stained counters.

At least it has air conditioning (although to be honest, the dry heat of the desert is a welcome change from the sticky layers that bogged her down in Virginia - she can handle this).

She can handle being in Nevada - because it is nearly clear across the country from Mystic Falls. She had expected him to take her there, to show his new found ownership of her off to her friends (worse, she had expected him to take her to Mystic Falls to try and _use _her against her friends).

In fact, she hopes to complete the cross country journey and wind up in California staring out at the Pacific Ocean. She might be able to do some sunbathing, catch up on some trashy novels and ignore the fact that he is breathing down her neck (_might_ but probably not).

"You haven't ordered anything."

Klaus' voice pulls her away from her thoughts. She looks up to find a waitress there, looking at her expectantly and simply shakes her head. "I'm not hungry."

"You said that yesterday," Klaus points out.

"It was true then too."

"_Bonnie_…"

And then he trails off to avoid falling back into their pattern of flinging insults and threats.

It has been a long three days.

She wonders if she is starting to get under his skin just a little. She is constantly poking at him, playing up her stubbornness, refusing to rise to whatever occasion he lays at her feet.

"She'll have pancakes," Klaus says leaning back in the booth. The waitress chooses, of course, to listen to him. Whether it is because she finds him handsome or he compelled her when there had been daydreams of lounging on the beach, Bonnie does not know. Apparently she is getting pancakes which she will drown in syrup to force down.

They fall into silence, lapse back into their natural habits.

Klaus is a people watcher. His eyes roam the diner, not doubt calculating the worth of each individual in it and sorting them into categories such as _not worth the time_, _to be manipulated into service_ and of course, _food_.

Bonnie is a Klaus watcher. While his eyes are on everyone else, her eyes are on him. She knows he is well aware and is long past caring. She is measuring him up, trying to find any chinks in his armour. Right now, he has his eyes on their blonde waitress, drumming his fingers in an impatient manner on the table top (that's new).

She hopes she is. Getting under his skin that is.

Maybe if she pushes him enough, he will forget this stupid idea of creating balance between them over the span of eight months. He will kill her instead of course but she is fast realizing that there are some fates worse than death - even if she still doesn't know what he has in store for her.

"Your curious nature is plain as day on that face of yours, love," he draws as he tears his eyes away from the waitress to look at her. His fingers continue to drum. "If you wish to know, just ask."

Bonnie will. She knows she will. She just has to work up the courage to do so. She is afraid of the answer. They both know that. Eventually she will have no other choice, she will be backed into a corner, forced to play the part she may have just only learned. She would like to know her lines before she enters stage right - she just has to swallow the fear that chokes off the question before it can escape her lips.

"Not here," she finally says and he merely shrugs. Here is not the place to discuss just what he wishes of her. There are too many people, too many things can go wrong. She is well aware that her emotions may get the best of her, that he may taunt and tease her. This is not the place.

Besides, she doesn't want to spoil her breakfast.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Thanks again for the comments guys! To those of you who wonder about the length. They are not actually chapters – they are drabbles. Drabbles are intended to be short. Each one is meant to encompass a moment between Klaus and Bonnie with the overall theme being the idea of her being stuck with him to repay trapping him. Also, my poor muse has been kicked repeatedly as of late. I haven't really written anything new in a while, mostly because of time constraints. I hope to get back to it soon! Because I love my Bonnie muse and she deserves to have awesome storylines! **

**The Balance of Things**

_Part Seven _

She doesn't get her wish of going clean across the country and sticking her feet in the Pacific Ocean.

In fact, Klaus backtracks and for a time the fear bubbles in her throat. Maybe they are going to Mystic Falls now. Maybe she will have to come face to face with those she loves while under the thumb of the monster she hates. She knows what will happen if she does - they will try to save her.

And someone will die.

She almost begs him to go anywhere but there; she almost tells him that she will do _anything_ if he only spares that fate. But the words never quite make it off her tongue and he soon plays his hand by pointing the car north.

They spend another day driving. She has gotten good at least presenting the idea that she is ignoring him. They both know she is not but neither comment on it. Instead she presses her forehead to the glass of the window and watches the scenery fly by.

Eventually she can't keep her eyes open any longer.

She wakes to his touch. A hand on her shoulder. Her eyes flutter open to find him crouched by the open passenger door. She pulls back immediately and there is a momentary look of irritation on his face. He stands to his full height. "We are here."

Bonnie unbuckles her belt, stepping out of the car to survey just where _here_ is. Surrounded by trees, dirt road under her feet…even the air feels different. She rubs her arms against its cool touch before her eyes inevitably find his face. She is questioning without words - another little habit they've developed.

"Wyoming, love. Jackson Hole to be exact. Right now, we're near the base of a mountain that belongs to the Rockies." Geography lesson over, Klaus turns and heads off.

She has little choice but to follow.

It's a short walk to a rather impressive house, nestled amongst the trees. She blinks at the size and then casts a glance in his direction. "One of yours?"

"A rental," he replies, his lips quirking in amusement.

"And just how long is our stay?" She asks.

"I admire the way you ask all the questions but the one you really want the answer to," Klaus retorts and she really has no comeback to that. Because he's right - she still hasn't asked.

The house is expansive and she wonders why anyone would want a place like this in the middle of nowhere. She walks the length of the house, discovers each room without him breathing down her neck and decides she likes it. The fact that it takes her fifteen minutes to fully explore the place bodes well for her need to get as far away from him as possible.

She ends up curled up in a chair in the room she has chosen for herself (whether he likes it or not). It's quiet, the view from the window is breathtaking and for the first time in days she feels something akin to peace.

Of course he is quick to shatter it.

Bonnie glowers when he enters her space. He smiles, and then leans against the window to block her view. "You might want to get some rest, sweetheart. It's going to be a long night."

Her mind is quick to dissect the statement, to find so many meanings behind it. None of them are pleasant. His smile turns into a cheeky grin because he has read her mind of course. He leans over now, placing his hands on the arms of the chair. She leans back, pressing herself into the chair as much as she can. For a moment they stare at one another, neither willing to back down.

"The moon is full tonight," Klaus finally says.

She is not foolish enough to celebrate her victory. Instead she processes the new information, with a quick glance towards the trees beyond the window. "There is a pack here, isn't there?" She asks. She doesn't wait for the confirmation, just keeps on going. "You brought me here so you could make hybrids? Seriously!?"

Klaus is obviously not amused by her outburst. He tilts his head, the smile fading a little. "When will you realize that I can do _anything_ I wish with you? If I wanted to, I could drag you across the bloody ocean and make you watch while I drain a nunnery." There is terseness to his voice that has her holding her breath, as if she is afraid he will do just that to prove his point. "You have no say in the matter." He straightens now and she finally breathes. "Understood?"

Bonnie nods.

"There's my girl," he croons, reaching out to let his fingers trace over her hair. She braces herself, stifles the urge to scream, to push back, to claw and bite at him.

She is above acting like a cornered animal.

She is more calculated than that.

"We will go as soon as the sun goes down," Klaus tells her before he leaves the room.

She crawls into the bed moments later - not because he told her to but because she has a feeling she'll need to conserve every ounce of strength she has.

As she drifts off, she thinks of his words.

_It's going to be a long night…_


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for all your wonderful support! **

**The Balance of Things**

_Part Eight _

They leave as soon as the sun starts to descend.

Somehow, Bonnie has managed a few hours of sleep. Somehow, she has managed to eat something (although it really had no taste). Somehow, she has managed to not to scream, to protest, to do something drastic that she will later regret.

However, she has not managed to hide her fear.

Not from him.

She knows he can hear her heartbeat erratically as they ascend a worn mountain path. She catches him glancing at her every now and then. Almost concerned. Almost. She knows when it boils down to it - this, her fear, her inability to do anything about it, is amusing to him.

By the time they reach a clearing, she estimates they have walked for over an hour (making a run to the relative safety of the house pretty much out of the question). The full moon is just barely visible through the trees - it has not yet taken its place of prominence in the sky.

Klaus signals their stop by sitting down on a fallen log. She walks a few more steps, stops when she hears him clear his throat, narrows her eyes and then sinks down onto a rock. She waits a moment, letting her senses acclimatize to her surroundings before she turns around and faces him. He isn't looking at her any longer, instead he is staring.

At the moon.

It takes a moment for her to clue in.

"You still feel the pull don't you?" She asks, her voice breaking the silence that has settled over the area. "The need to shift - even though you don't actually have to."

Klaus's head slowly turns toward her and there's a slight movement that she takes as a nod. "It calls to the animal in me. But it is not nearly as seductive as it is to those who cannot ignore it."

Those who they are here to seek out, Bonnie thinks.

It takes a moment to realize that the silence has become unnatural. There should be small animals, insects, a goddamn breeze in the trees - but there is nothing. She is on high alert but even then, she misses their entrance. It is only when Klaus stands that she realizes they are no longer alone.

Her eyes fall on four men, four very large men who like Klaus are reacting to the moon above. Only theirs is more pronounced, they twitch almost, as if they are ready to rip out of their skin (actually, that's not far off).

She rises slowly as they step into the clearing. Thankfully, their eyes are on pinned on Klaus and his on them. She can feel the tension, the need for posturing coming off all of them.

They all want to be the alpha - and there can only be one.

Her feeling of dread intensifies.

"Hello boys," Klaus drawls, and he sounds congenial enough. Charming. She sees right through him of course.

And so do they. The one closest to her tilts his head to the side, an almost canine movement despite his human form and laughs. "We wondered when you'd come," he says, his voice sounding rough as if it is barely in use. "Took you long enough."

"I've been…_detained_." And with that, Klaus glances at Bonnie, which causes the others to as well. Five sets of eyes on her, and the friendliest of all belong to her captor. She wonders if the wolves can smell her magic.

Unconsciously she inches closer to Klaus.

"We're not interested in your offer, Klaus." Another spoke, exhibiting less control than the first. She knows that the moon is pulling out the wolf in each of them, that is just pacing beneath the surface.

Her heart is racing so fast that Klaus reaches out now, his hand closing around her wrist, his thumb pressing against her pulse point. Perhaps he is trying to give her some sort of warning to control herself. She is not sure (and she is not able, it's her body's automatic response to what is going on).

"So you've heard of me and my offer," Klaus says, giving Bonnie's arm a jerk so she stands beside him. "Wonderful. It saves me the sales pitch. Come now, lads, I know as well as you that you are just minutes away from every bone in your body breaking, your flesh tearing - all involuntary. It doesn't have to be that way. I can set you free of that."

"Your freedom…" One begins, his eyes hardening. Bonnie can see the flesh of his arm ripple and wonder if this is the beginning of the transformation. "…comes at a price."

"Not all that terrible considering that you're a slave to the moon," Klaus contends.

"Better than a slave to you." And Bonnie wants to smile, laugh, because they understand how he works. Even before he opened his mouth they have gotten his number. No amount of charm is going to persuade them. Her lips may quirk a little but she can't go no further.

Because now what - now that this trip has proven to be fruitless what is the plan?

Before she can think it through, one of the wolves goes down, his body doubling over and cry of pain wrenching from his lips. She flinches automatically, tearing her arm from Klaus's grip. He doesn't pay her any mind, instead watching the men intently. "Last chance boys."

The one already on the ground lifts his head, his eyes a piercing yellow. "Go to hell." The words are low in this throat, almost a growl.

The others fall now, no longer able to hold off the moon.

Bonnie knows she has to get out of there.

Klaus must too, for her turns to her, holds her gaze as he inclines his head a little.

"_Run_."

And without question, she obeys.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Thank you for your continued support. Last drabble and the next few reveal a few things I think about this whole werewolf incident so those people who are confused I hope it helps! **

**The Balance of Things **

_Part Nine _

Her lungs burn but she knows she cannot stop.

Bonnie can barely see – the tree cover blocks what little light the moon throws off. Combined with her speed, she can only make out the big things, the darkest of shadows. As a result she has fallen more than once, but she scrambles right back to her feet. Branches whip by and she knows she has scratches.

But these are minor things compared to the damage a werewolf can do.

She doesn't think she has it in her yet to take one on. Her powers have lain dormant too long for her to have a good handle on them. She has the raw potential but her confidence in her ability is none too high – and, of course, there is too much at stake to risk it.

She knows one of them has followed her. She can hear it now, the way it moves effortlessly in the growth behind her. It is picking up speed, gaining on her. She swears she can feel its breath against her skin, even though she knows it hasn't quite reached that stage yet.

She soon might not have a choice. She'll have to try and hope for the best.

She goes down hard, face first into the forest floor. At first she thinks she has tripped but then she feels the weight on her back and realizes that breath against her skin has been not so imaginary after all. She closes her eyes and hopes for the best. She'll stick to something simple. One of the first elements she learned to control – fire. No matter how strong the creature on her, fire does damage, causes pain.

Before she can complete the spell the wolf buries its teeth into the flesh of her shoulder. Her concentration snaps and she cannot stop herself from crying out. She tries to push herself up, tries to give herself some sort of leverage but the beast is stronger. She is left pinned to the ground as it savages her shoulder.

This is how she is going to die, she realizes.

Alone in some strange woods at the hands of a creature whose face she only committed to memory moments before (and even then she can't be sure _which_ one it is that is currently intent on ripping her to shreds).

Perhaps it's fitting.

She turns her head a little, presses her cheek to the ground and hopes that it is swift.

Her eyes are closed when the weight lifts, when she feels the teeth being pulled from her shoulder. Another scream catches in her throat. It takes her a moment to realize that she is no longer pinned down, that her flesh is no longer being torn. She rises a little on both knees and one hand (she doesn't dare try to place her other hand to the ground, she keeps it close to her chest, knowing it can't hold her weight).

Her shoulder burns and she can feel blood seeping through her shirt. She doesn't need to see it to know that it is bad. She needs medical attention – something that is unattainable given her location.

A piercing yelp finally pulls her attention away from her deteriorating condition. She shifts her gaze to the right to see two wolves ensnared with one another. She swallows, finding her vision fuzzy around the edges. But she can make out enough to see that one clearly has the advantage. That he is the alpha.

_Klaus._

She hobbles slowly now as they fight, wanting to be out of the line of fire. She winces as each movement brings a fresh wave of pain radiating out from her wound. Behind her she can hear the pair continue to fight. She knows she should not watch, but she can't seem to resist the temptation. She turns just in time to see the larger wolf tear into the throat of the smaller one.

She lets out a scream she didn't realize she has been holding in, finally falling again. Her weakening body can longer carry her. _Just pass out, Bonnie_, she urges herself. _It'll be better that way_.

But blessed darkness does not come. She is left lying on the ground, the scent of blood (its, _hers_) strong in the air. She can hear the sounds of twigs snapping and isn't sure the source until a pair of now familiar scuffed shoes stand directly in her line of sight. She manages to force her eyes to look upward.

He stands, gazing down at her and for a moment she is not sure what she sees.

Anger?

Concern?

Finally he crouches down next to her, tilts his head to the side and she gets it.

"You didn't even fight back."

Disappointment.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: I had not realized that I hadn't kept this up to date with what I published on tumblr. As a result, have parts 10 through 13 (which I just wrote and published today). I want to remind people that these are essentially drabbles – they aren't meant to be epic chapters (because I don't have it in me to write those at the moment) which is why they are shorter. I aim for at least 1000 words – sometimes I go over and sometimes I go under. Also, to those who wonder about Bonnie's lack of spirit, hopefully these next few drabbles will clear that up. Thanks to everyone who supported this tale! **

**The Balance of Things**

_Part Ten _

Bonnie chooses not to say anything to his accusation. Mostly because anything she could say would ring false.

He is right.

She did not fight back – at least not to the best of her ability. She wonders, as her blood continues to seep into the ground around her, if that means she truly wants to die. It is one thing to think it – it is another to let it happen.

And she has almost let it happen.

Klaus' hands reach out for her. "Up we go." He is none too gentle about pulling her to a seated position. As a result she is left with her bottom lip firmly trapped between her teeth to try and stop from crying out. She sits there as he prods at the wound with nimble fingers. She swears he is purposely trying to test her limit, see if she will break down and scream again.

She may wish to die – but if she is going to do so, it will be with the knowledge that she didn't give him what he wanted.

"It's as bad as it looks. Without proper care I am afraid…" He trails off. They both know how the sentence will end. Klaus rocks back on his heels a little, his hand finally falling away. She lets out the breath that she has been holding in and glances down. What moonlight there is in their current location reflects off the deep crimson coating her shoulder. She can make out marred flesh. And bone.

She sees bone.

A wave of nausea overtakes her and she slumps forward a little. His hand presses against her chest. "Yes, I would imagine you are moments from passing out. Which is why we should be quick. You need my blood, Bonnie. If you want to open your eyes come sunrise." He tilts his head again, and she can see him thinking.

Calculating the cost no doubt.

"It doesn't come free," Klaus draws confirming what she is thinking.

"Whatever you want, it's too high a price," Bonnie says defiantly, as if she is not gambling away her life. She can only imagine what she will have to give him – free range to her magic, time beyond the allotted eight months (although she doesn't believe he has any intention of freeing her after her time is up in the first place).

"Your pride is astounding. All I want is for you to ask," Klaus scoffs. "Ask me to save your life, Bonnie. You don't even have to say please." He reaches out touches her shoulders, her blood staining his fingers. She watches in horror as he brings them to his lips and the red blotch disappears. "However, I would hurry. If you pass out, I will not do a thing to help. I will merely watch as your blood drains from your body."

Bonnie wants to call his bluff. He has gone to so much trouble. Would he really let her bleed out in the middle of nowhere? She doesn't even know the true purpose for taking her yet.

It would be a waste to him – her death.

But she recognizes that like her, he is stubborn. To a fault. He may just let her die – to prove a point.

She is back to her original question – does she want to die?

The answer comes easier than she had imagined.

No, she doesn't.

At least not like this.

"Klaus…" And he leans forward expectantly. She thinks he looks too fuzzy around the edges and knows she has to be quick about it. "_Please_…"

And that's all she has to say. Despite his insistence that she doesn't have to be polite, she never gets beyond doing so. He rips into his wrist and reaches out to pull her head toward the open wound. Her eyes fall close as the blood fill her mouth. She doesn't have to wait long to feel its effects. Already she knows her body is accepting it, using it to make her whole again.

She pulls back first, deeming it enough to save her life. When she looks up, he is watching her closely. For a moment she is not sure what to say. Instinct says she should thank him – but it is he who put her in this position in the first place. She realizes that her head has fallen to his shoulder and when she moves to pull away he tightens his grip on her. Perhaps she will protest, point out that in a minute or two she will be good as new, so playing nursemaid is not necessary. There is a look of expectation on his face (mixed with a good measure of what she suspects is smugness) and she knows she has to say something.

She shifts, and is about to speak (though she has no idea what will come out of her mouth). However before she can say anything, she is saved.

By blessed darkness.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Balance of Things**

_Part Eleven_

The sun is up when her eyes open again.

Immediately his voice fills her head.

_If you want to open your eyes come sunrise…_

She had wanted to – so she has.

Thanks to him.

Bonnie shifts slightly, her senses starting to kick in. She is not in the woods. Why she had expected to be she does not know. It is not as if Klaus would leave her lying there with three uncounted werewolves prowling and the smell of her blood diffusing through the trees.

She is her bed (well – she is in the bed she has chosen for herself in their little mountain 'retreat'). The fact that the sheets are tucked in around her does not give her cause for alarm.

Her attire does though.

Fresh clean clothes. Not a spot of blood.

Bonnie sits up slowly, her lips pressed together. It does not take a genius to know how this came to be. She feels revulsion in the pit of her stomach as her mind replays the scene. She wonders how much Klaus enjoyed dressing her like some sort of doll…

_Don't Bonnie._

_Don't do that to yourself._

She knows it is a slippery slope to play on and she'd rather not end up falling over into the worst case scenario.

Still, even in its most innocent of versions, it is a violation.

"You're awake."

Bonnie's eyes tear away from the corner of the bed, moving rapidly of their own accord to find him standing in the doorway. He, too, is in fresh clean clothes. It is like the previous night has never happened.

Her hand moves to her neck, her fingers playing across unbroken skin. She can feel flakes of dried blood peel away under the lightest of touch. There, there is the proof that she needs (and, surprisingly, it's a relief to know that while he rid her of her soiled clothes, he didn't go as far as to wash away the blood).

Like the night before, Bonnie is at a loss as to what to say to him. She loathes him but he is the reason she is alive. _Please_. She had pleaded. Begged. Although some might see it as a gesture of politeness, she knows better. There is a lot to be said for her word choice.

Klaus enters, moving with the preternatural grace, until he is standing by her bedside. She is still left staring at the door. "You'll want a shower, some food. We are not going anywhere. So feel free to…"

"I'm fine," she retorts, and there is a good measure of bite to her tone. She hasn't meant her first words to be spoken in a caustic manner but the phrase 'feel free' pokes at her temper. Surely he can understand that. She looks up now and hates that he has the gall to be amused by her outburst (though should she really be surprised?). "So if we have to leave…"

"We're staying," Klaus cuts her off. And it's as simple as that really. "For the foreseeable future."

Just what she needs – to be alone in the woods with the big bad wolf.

She glances down, her attire once again causing her stomach to knot. "But why?" She rails back, needing an outlet for her panic. "You failed! They don't want your gift, Klaus. What are you going to do? Force it on them? Kill them?"

"I already did."

She swallows now, knowing he is not lying. Somewhere in between putting her to bed (in _clean_ clothes) and sunrise, Klaus has killed the remainder of the pack. "Then what is left here?"

He sinks down, coming to rest on the edge of her bed. She does not flinch, but every muscle is tense. "Last night is proof enough to me that you are not the witch you used to be."

A year ago, she would have taken it as an insult. But now, now, she wears it proudly. She doesn't want to be that person. She wants to be the girl sitting in her American Lit. class listening to the professor drone on about allegories. She can't stop the smile that crosses her face but knows even without it; Klaus understands her current frame of mind.

"That simply won't do," he continues as if she isn't sitting up a little straighter in her bed. "I need a witch. The Bennett witch. You nearly killed me once. And on another occasion, you stuffed me in a box with only my thoughts. Do you know that in all my time on this earth only my mother has come as close as you have to stopping me? There is raw power in you, Bonnie."

In a way, she supposes she is flattered. He has all but admitted that there is something about her to be feared by him. Of course, that is all well and good to say, but he doesn't look particularly frightened as he lords over her in this moment. "You said it yourself – I'm not her. Not anymore."

Klaus nods, his hand coming to rest on the blanket. Just inches from her thigh. He inclines his head a little. "But you will be. I'll see to that. By the time we leave here, you will have embraced your former self."

Bonnie's brows knit together. She can see his plan now; although how he has in mind to execute it is not nearly as clear.

"Clean yourself up. Get something to eat." He stands now, all business. "Meet me downstairs in an hour. And before you think to dig in your heels, I'll retrieve if you don't. Understood?"

"Of course."


	12. Chapter 12

**The Balance of Things**

_Part Twelve_

The principle of the thing has Bonnie showing up seven minutes beyond her allotted hour.

She walks down the stairs slowly, her hand on the railing, feeling fresh from a shower and _another_ set of clean clothes (at least she can tell herself he hasn't had his hands on these). She finds him seated in an overstuffed chair in the open space of the living room. His eyebrow quirks and he presses his fingers together upon spotting her.

He has noticed her tardiness.

Since that was the point, she tries not to smile.

Bonnie chooses a chair at the edge of the room, far enough away from him to feel as if she has some sort of chance to ignore him (a sliver of a chance but she has learned to take what she can get). She is about to let herself fall into it when he clears his throat.

"Don't bother," Klaus says the moment her eyes fall on him.

Bonnie straightens, presses her lips together to hide her annoyance at being ordered about and then pushes forward. "Another nature walk?"

He grins just a little, perhaps his mind replaying his latest string of violence. "No, we are staying in today," he assures her as he rises to his full height. "But we have a full agenda. I meant my earlier words to you - I need the Bennett witch."

But what for?

She still hasn't asked, and it is becoming more and more clear that perhaps she never will. It seems rather foolish not to given that he has indicated he is open to sharing. She should know the stakes really because then she can work to mediate the damage (or if she is clever enough, avoid it all together).

Still - she just can't bring herself to ask. Is she truly that afraid of the answer?

No.

(Okay, maybe.)

She reasons that he must be just as frustrated with her as she with him. Perhaps her lack of questioning comes off as apathy. That would put a chink in his ego wouldn't it? His little prisoner could care less - she doesn't want to know the details of his master plan.

(But she does.)

"A wolf got the better of you last night," Klaus reminds her. "Surely you don't want a repeat performance?"

"No," she says, her voice matter of fact. She knows she should have been able to take the wolf. Even with the cobwebs still holding fast to her abilities, she should have been able to prevent her near death. She won't analyze too deeply into her fatal mistake, deciding to lay the cause at the feet of her unwillingness to let go of her normal life. She is a college student; she likes being a college student; she likes not being the magical solution to every problem.

However, that doesn't mean that she wants to allow herself to be ripped to shreds by vicious creatures.

"I assumed not," Klaus drawls as he steps closer to her. She tries her best to remain passively standing in one spot. It proves too difficult and she bristles the moment he crosses that invisible line into her personal space. "So, today we will work to ensure that you will never again find yourself in such a position. The potential is there, love, we just have to tap into again." His hand falls on her shoulder, and she glances down, her gaze hardening. A moment later he hisses and retracts the offending appendage. "Perhaps it is not buried as deep as we thought."

It is obvious from the way he smiles as he rubs at the reddened skin that he is amused. She realizes he had known she would react that way. She hates that she has given up ground already. The last thing she wants is for Klaus to poke and prod at her comfort zone in hopes of getting a rise out of her.

"I watched you, you know," he says and he is at a more respectable distance now. Her body is tense, waiting for any sort of contact and telling herself when it comes she won't give him the satisfaction of a reaction. "For a week or so as you went to and from classes, attended your little study groups, wasted hours in that rather pathetic excuse for a library...did you know they don't even have a copy of the_ Divine Comedy_? I was so bored I was forced to read something by that hack Chaucer." She swallows now as he confirms what she has suspected. He had been watching her enjoy her freedom, all the while plotting to take it away. It sickens her to know. "I think it was then that I realized you had locked away the most unique part of you. If you had been in tune with your powers then you would have felt my presence before I even had a chance to sit in on your chemistry class. I have rarely met a witch who ignores who she is - but then again, you are one of a kind, Bonnie Bennett. I almost feel sorry for the little co-ed we left to rot. I already knew you were defenseless, drinking the blonde was...overkill."

Her mouth has fallen open at his revelation. He killed that girl because he was trying to see just how much she had distanced herself from who she was in Mystic Falls? That girl was a _test_? She could feel her anger pooling in her chest, pushing at her, demanding that she respond. "You're a monster," she breathes before she can stop herself (not that she would have had she taken the moment for second thought - she is sure he already knows this). "A person's life is not a means to an end."

"Ah, but it is," Klaus says and he edges toward breaking her comfort zone again. He shrugs and then lets his head tilt to the side. "Human life has little value in the long run. Most have eighty years at best to prove their purpose before they are wiped out in a blink of an eye. That girl would have no doubt been as easily forgotten as all the rest. This way she will forever be remembered."

No doubt - all because he wanted to test her.

The anger has been growing steadily now. Her fingers are curled into her palms; her chest is rising at a steady pace. She can't give into it. It won't be worth it in the end. When she speaks, she does her best to keep her voice even. "You deserve to burn in hell."

In a move that reminds her so clearly of the day she had been forced to undo his mother's spell, Klaus places a hand over his heart. "Perhaps. But I will forever walk this plane." His hand falls away. "Now, I thought that perhaps my little act of violence would kick start the innate nature within you but you continue to surprise me in how _human_ you act. Trying to sneak out of the motel room? Really? I would have expected half my wardrobe to have succumbed to fire damage at this point but instead you continue to cling to a life that doesn't suit you." Another step. His eyes trail to watch as she flexes her hands.

He is goading her of course - and she wants so desperately to give in.

"I had to rethink my strategy after you let me take you nearly clean across this country without so much as a token act of witchy resistance," Klaus admits. "This is how we ended up here, in the middle of nowhere. Just the two of us. And the wolves, pathetic excuses of flesh that I would never want in my collection of hybrids..."

Bonnie sucks in a breath now, her mind putting together the pieces. He had never wanted to turn those creatures. He had wanted to provoke them. To place her life in jeopardy so she had no choice but to react.

The whole ordeal had been another test.

She sees red now, her anger doubling at how he has played with her life. Her chin lifts and he grins. He knows she understands. She knows she should not give him this. But she can't stop herself. She already feels her powers build with her anger until she is like a pressure cooker.

Destined to blow.

The blast is quick, and he is sent clear cross the room to meet the wall. There is a moment of silence before things to fall into place again. Her head is pounding and when she reaches up she is not surprised to find blood trickling from her nose. It is too much too fast (but unavoidable she supposes). Her eyes find him now, crumpled on the floor wiping bits of plaster off his shoulders. He raises his gaze to meet hers.

And then smiles brilliantly.

"There's my girl."


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: This is the newest installment – fresh off the presses. The next few drabbles are going to get a little hectic if everything comes out the way I want it to! Hope you guys are enjoying this!**

**The Balance of Things**

_Part Thirteen_

She is allowed to take a break after that.

He is still on the floor when he dismisses her and she immediately retreats to the kitchen. She swipes at her nose again catching more blood on the back of her hand before she pours herself a glass of water. Her head is pounding and her stomach is knotting itself over and over…but she can feel it.

Her magic.

It has finally awoken properly and is flooding through her system at a rapid pace. She remembers the first time she felt this way, after she had opened the tomb with her grandmother. She had been too worried about Elena, about why lie beyond that door to even consider the immense rush that had overtaken her (and later she would dismiss it all together with the realization that as her powers grew her grandmothers had weakened).

Now she leans against the counter, closes her eyes and lets it come. If she were asked to describe it to someone she would not be able. The best she can come up with is a feeling of warmth spreading throughout every aspect of her body, leaving behind no pain, no weakness – just the realization that she is stronger, more capable of handling situations such as the wolf.

She wishes she could be happy with that thought.

Instead she feels defeated in a way. In the span of ten minutes she has let Klaus unlock a part of her that she had desperately wanted to keep hidden. She had liked being _human_. Liked the thought that she was a perfectly normal girl going from day to day doing nothing beyond the limits of her human status. Not once since she had left Mystic Falls and locked that part of her away had she felt even the slightest temptation to use magic.

She sets the glass down, the annoyance clawing at her despite the exhilarating pull of magic. Her eyes close and she sighs. She supposes this is a good thing. This brings her one step closer to completing whatever task Klaus has in mind for her. Then her purpose will be served and she can be free of him – one way or another.

She tilts her head now, focusing on a lone candle that serves as a centerpiece for the table. At one point lighting a candle was child's play. She isn't so sure now. She knows she is not a beginner, she has done this all before but she still worries that it will all be too much too fast. She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath. There is a stirring within in and when she opens her eyes the orange flame burns proudly.

Okay – maybe it is still child's play.

She hears him clear his throat (rather politely) and sighs. So much for having a few more minutes to herself. She shifts her gaze to the entrance of the kitchen and finds him standing there watching her. He still has that look of pride on his face that he has no business having. She pointedly ignores him to cross the room and blow out the candle.

"You'll still need practice of course, but that was a magnificent start," Klaus assures her, sounding very much like a teacher handing out constructive criticism.

She stands ramrod straight and looks over her shoulder. "Not today," she says firmly. "Too fast – I am not in the mood for another nosebleed."

"Of course." There is a playful smirk that she doesn't quite understand.

Bonnie decides she has better things to do than try and figure Klaus out. She pushes past him into the living room and stops short. The entire room is basked in the warm orange glow of flickering candles. There are at least a dozen of them positioned around the room to serve as decoration and right now each one burns brightly. Behind her she can hear Klaus shifting, turning so that he too can survey her handiwork.

His smirk makes sense now

The best course of action becomes to ignore them, which she does as she strides to the staircase. His eyes on her but she ignores that too, climbing quickly to the relative sanctuary of her room.

There are candles burning there too.

Okay – definitely still child's play.

**X**

He insists that she practice on a daily basis.

She'd concedes, but only if he will stop hovering. It is much easier to start fires and levitate objects without him breathing down her neck. Thankfully he complies, though he doesn't stray far. She catches him watching her every now and then, smiling at her accomplishments. On the second day of her self directed lessons she sends a vase hurdling in his direction. He doesn't flinch as it crashes.

"Oops."

On the fourth day, she ventures outside to stir the air. As a witch, she knows her connection to nature is rivaled by no one. As soon as she takes a deep breath, she can feel it. For the first time since her powers came rushing back she feels a tingle of excitement at the prospect of doing magic. She blocks out Klaus (who is no doubt watching nearby) and her current predicament. Instead she closes her eyes and lets the connection take over. The wind plays with her hair, whipping it around her face. She can hear the sounds of leaves, twigs, anything that litters the forest floor being lifted and thrown about. She lets it continue until she is laughing as the magic courses through her at a maddening rate.

She is still smiling and her skin has a healthy glow when she enters the house. He is standing there and she comes to a halt. Her annoyance at having him ruin this moment plays out on her face and he has the audacity to look wounded. After she glowers she is content to ignore him and does so by striding past him. Her little jaunt in the woods has left her hungry.

"I have a present for you."

She stops in the middle of the living room. She shouldn't take his bait. She should just keep moving. But for some foolish reason she turns instead. He smiles (point for him). "I don't want it," she says. It is a silly statement, spoken only because she has given in.

"Yes, you do," he retorts and there is a measure of confidence in his voice that has her raising an eyebrow. Her eyes track him as he crosses the room to retrieve something off the shelf. She blinks as she takes it in.

_But it can't be…_

Her mouth falls open a little as he turns, her grimoire firmly in hand. It shouldn't be here. He shouldn't have it. She had carefully packed it away in the attic of the Bennett house during her first visit home from college (it had been symbolic, some much needed closure on that part of her life). For the first time in days he has managed to turn the tide back in direction. "…how?"

"I had someone retrieve for me," Klaus explains.

She hasn't seen anyone come in or out of the house since they arrived. Even during the night when she manages to get bits and pieces of sleep she knows no one has come (she is always on red alert, the smallest noise wakes her). She wonders if her confusion is that evident.

"Weeks ago," he adds.

Before she even wound up in his clutches, she realizes. Of course he has this planned down to the smallest detail. She should have expected nothing less. Her chest is rising and falling at a more rapid rate and before she can think it through she is moving toward him, her fingers curling around the familiar book. She tugs but he holds firm. "Give it to me," she says evenly.

"You act so ungrateful. This is a gift," he reminds her.

"This is mine!" She declares, her temper flaring at such a rapid pace the candles spike around her. She still does not have complete control. She presses her lips together, takes a deep breath and the candles die. "_Please._"

Klaus lets go of the grimoire which she immediately pulls to her body.

"Much better."


End file.
